The Time of My Life
by xXx Fantasy xXx
Summary: Naruto's dream has finally come true, and he's living life to the max. Song: "The Time of My Life" by David Cook


A/N: This is a good song, even though I prefer David Archuleta over David Cook. Still, it's good. So…

Enjoy…

Read…

And review!

--

"Naruto! Naruto, you in there?"

I turned away from the mirror and stared at the door for a second, wondering whether I should open the door for that white-eyed freak who, for the past few years, had been reminding me that I was destined to be a failure or just pretend I wasn't even there. Then again, if I did let him in, I could rub in the fact that he was wrong. That seemed like the better choice.

Slowly walking towards the door, I went through all the things that he had been wrong about in my head.

For one, I did it. I didn't fail. I completed my important mission, as a jounin might I add.

Secondly, I defeated the leader of the Akatsuki. True, it was rumored that he was my brother or my dad or something. I'll never know if he was related to me in any way, but at this point, it didn't matter. I did what I had to, to protect my village. And it paid off. Immensely.

I was now Hokage.

_**I've been waiting for my dreams **_

_**  
To turn into something **_

_**  
I could believe in **_

_**  
And looking for that **_

_**  
Magic rainbow**_

_**  
On the horizon**_

_**  
I couldn't see it**_

_**Until I let go**_

_**  
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn**_

_**  
Now I'm coming alive **_

_**  
Body and soul**_

__

_**  
And feelin' my world start to turn  
**_

I was violently pulled out of my thoughts when I heard a crash and the shattering of glass. I swiveled around, facing my now broken window, to find Kiba (a.k.a. Dog Breath) crouching on the windowsill. His dog, Akamaru, was sitting in front of me, eyes wild and tongue hanging from his mouth. He obviously enjoyed breaking through windows.

I laughed quietly. Considering the situation, it would have been rude _not_ to laugh. Akamaru did not look like a dog of the Inuzuka clan who had been training for years with Kiba. He, instead, reminded me of a mere house pup who was having the time of his life. I crouched down, reached my hand out to him and pet his head.

"Hey, boy. Nice to see you again," I whispered, as if sharing a secret with him and only him. Akamaru just closed his eyes and wagged his tail.

Kiba, who had suddenly appeared next to Akamaru, smirked. "So, Hokage, huh?" He shook his head as if he couldn't believe it, but with that smile plastered on his face, he didn't look upset. "You better make us proud, Naruto."

I smiled and stood up, leveling my eyes with his. In the past few years, I had grown quite a bit. I wasn't the shorty everyone had come to know. In fact, I was taller than everyone but Choji and Shino. Kiba, Lee, and I were the same height. Everyone else was shorter.

We looked at each other for a moment. And in that moment, I could feel, in my chest, something burning, getting bigger and bigger, like a flame. And suddenly I realized what it was. Friendship.

Who ever thought that Kiba and I would end up becoming best friends?

_  
__**And I'll taste every moment**_

_**  
And live it out loud**_

_**  
I know this is the time,**_

_**  
This is the time**_

_**  
To be more than a name**_

_**  
Or a face in the crowd**_

_**  
I know this is the time**_

_**  
This is the time of my life **_

_**  
Time of my life  
**_

It was a while before I realized that Neji was still yelling and banging on my door. I hesitated. Obviously, he was determined to see me. And now, I wasn't so sure that I actually wanted to see _him_. But how could I avoid him?

Kiba seemed to sense what I was feeling and pointed to the window. "After you, oh-honorable-one."

My mouth formed into my ever famous grin, and I jumped out the window, followed by Kiba and then Akamaru. We hopped from building to building, faster than ever it seemed, heading towards the one place I had come to know and love.

I landed on the ground in front of the old shop with the others hot on my heels, sped into the shop, and plopped down in my usual seat, very hungry and ready for whatever the old man had to give me. Kiba came in too. (Akamaru waited outside.)

Teuchi, the man that I had learned the name of only a year or so ago as I only used to call him 'Old Man', spun around and laughed when he saw me.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Naruto! Or ,should I say, Lord Hokage?" He laughed again, as if sharing a private joke with himself. I flashed my trademark grin and gave Teuchi a thumbs up.

"Yep, I'm Hokage now," I stated, immensely proud of myself. Tat pride showed in my tone.

Teuchi smiled. "You haven't changed at all. Well, except your height. You're huge now Naruto!" The old man shook his head and turned around. "So, what would you like?"

"The usual, please," I replied. Then I looked at Kiba. "He makes a mean Miso, you should try it."

Kiba shrugged and said, "Miso it is, then."

Teuchi nodded and got to work. "So, Naruto, you coming here for a final goodbye?"

I thanked Ayame for the drink, took a sip, and replied, "No. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Teuchi said. "You'll be pretty busy what with all the Hokage duties, and paperwork, and stuff. You won't have much time to come here."

I shook my head. "For ramen, I'll always make time. You should know that by now, Old Man." I winked. "I promise. I'll come."

Teuchi smiled happily. He set out two bowls of ramen in front of us, and an extra one for me who always had seconds. "Well, I'll hold you on that promise. You better come."

"Of course I will," I said. "I never go back on a promise!" And with that I scarfed down his first bowl of ramen. Teuchi and Kiba just laughed.

_**Holding onto things that vanished**_

_**  
Into the air**_

_**  
Left me in pieces **_

_**  
But now I'm rising from the ashes**_

__

_**  
Finding my wings**_

_**  
And all that I needed**_

_**Was there all along**_

_**  
Within my reach **_

_**  
As close as the beat of my heart**_

--Somewhere in the forest--

"Akamaru! Catch!" I called.

Akamaru barked loudly, a bark he developed as he grew out of puppyhood, jumped up high into the air, snatching the ball with his large teeth, and landed with a thud on the ground in front of Kiba. I ran up to the dog and pat him on the head, praising him. Kiba just smiled and looked down at his dog. "Impressive, isn't he?"

I looked up at Kiba from my crouching position and flashed him glistening white teeth. "Yeah." I looked back at Akamaru, smile fading. I was silent for a second, and then I spoke. "I missed you guys, y'know. When I came back from my long trip with the pervy sage, I only got to see you for, like, a few months. And then you guys left for a long trip."

Kiba frowned. "I sent you letters every now and then. Didn't you get them?"

"Yeah, but it's not like letters actually are the real thing."

"They can come pretty close."

"I guess." Suddenly, I grinned, and evil glint in my eye. "Speaking of letters, I'd like to know about this girl you described as 'beautiful, mysterious, and sexy'."

Kiba's faced instantly reddened, and he turned his gaze away from me. "I-I don't know what y-you're talking about."

I laughed and lay down on the ground, hands underneath my head and eyes staring out at the sunset. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

Kiba looked back at me, hesitated, and then sat down beside me, copying my position. Akamaru squeezed in between us and curled up with his head lying on Kiba's chest. Kiba smiled warmly and pat Akamaru's head softly, staring out at the sunset like I was. He sighed. I did too.

"I wish things could stay like this forever," I muttered softly. Kiba heard and nodded.

"Of course, a few years ago, I would have probably barfed at the fact that you were my friend," Kiba said, smile forming on his lips. "And I also would've never imagined that Hinata would be my girlfriend."

"Well, she has changed." I shrugged and left it at that. It was only a year ago that I had discovered Hinata's crush on me, and it made things very awkward between us. I just 

wanted to forget about it all together, and it should've been easy to do what with Hinata falling in love with Kiba and all. But no. My memory was all too good, and every time I saw her I thought about it. _Curse me and my curiosity_, I thought. _If, a year ago, I had left her alone, then I would never have known and everything would be okay!_ I really did like Hinata…just not in that way. I didn't want things to be awkward between us.

Kiba sighed loudly, which pulled me from my thoughts. I started to sit up, too excited to lie down, when suddenly Kiba pulled on my sleeve.

"Hey Naruto, look at that!"

I looked up, expecting nothing less than a shooting star, and, sure enough, there it was.

A shooting star.

MY shooting star.

So I closed my eyes…

_**So I'll taste every moment**_

_**  
And live it out loud**_

_**  
I know this is the time,**_

_**  
This is the time to be **_

_**  
More than a name **_

_**  
Or a face in the crowd **_

_**  
I know this is the time**_

_**  
This is the time of my life **_

_**  
Time of my life  
**_

I wished for a lot of things during that moment.

I wished for my girlfriend to kiss me finally. She had warned me that if I tried to kiss her, she would punch me out of existence. No, SHE wanted to be the kiss_er_, not the kiss_ee_. Typical Sakura.

I wished that everyone would accept me as Hokage. I knew that might be hard for those who detested the Demon Fox. But he was part of me, and I was him, so that was that. In fact, I was starting to LIKE that damned fox. No matter how tenacious, mean, or sneaky he was, he had something about him that reminded me of my old self: loneliness. In that way, it seems, we have a strong bond that no one can break. Maybe it was destiny after all.

I wished that Kiba, Akamaru, and I would stay best friends, that we could still do things together like we had today. It seemed odd that, at one point, they hated each other guts, but then now, they were hanging out as if they had been friends forever.

I wished that the ninja villages would all live in peace with each other. Ally or no, the villages were getting awfully hot-headed about personal problems. Maybe he, the next Hokage, could fix that. Maybe.

And lastly, I wished that things would stay like this forever. I wished that I would never have to go back to being "just that kid" or "that demon brat". I wanted nothing more than my friends, and my whole village, to be with me, cheering me on. That was all I wanted.

Now, is that too much to ask?

_**So I'll taste every moment**_

_**  
And live it out loud**_

_**  
I know this is the time,**_

_**  
This is the time to be**_

_**  
More than a name**_

_**  
Or a face in the crowd**_

_**  
I know this is the time**_

_**  
This is the time of my life**_

_**  
Time of my life**_

"Hey, Naruto."

I opened my eyes. Kiba was crouching in front of me, staring into my face, his eyes full of curiosity. That curiosity, however, was quickly replaced with amusement. "Heh. For a second there I thought you had fallen asleep or something. Everything all right in there?" He flicked my forehead. I nodded and then stood up.

The movement was too abrupt for Akamaru, who had been laying his head his head on my shoulder, so he quickly shot up onto his feet and twirled around in circles, as if confused. Kiba and I laughed. Akamaru growled softly at us. He obviously knew that we were laughing at him. Smart dog.

And then we played with him again.

--

Complete darkness had settled upon us by the time we finished playing, so we headed back to my house. Tomorrow I would officially become Hokage. I didn't want to be tired for THAT.

We walked slowly along the streets, not wanting the day to end. Kiba looked over at me. I looked over at him. We both smiled at each other, and then looked away. It was obvious to both of us that things would be different after I became Hokage tomorrow. I would be busier; he would be doing other things like everyone else…

Suddenly, I wondered if I really wanted to give up my freedom to be Hokage. But that thought only lasted a few seconds, because I came up with an even better idea.

_**And I'm out on the edge of forever **_

_**  
Ready to run**_

_**  
I'm keeping my feet on the ground **_

_**  
My arms open wide**_

_**  
My face to the sun**_

"Hey, Kiba…"

"Yeah?" Kiba answered, curiously.

"Well…" I hesitated. "You know how Granny Tsunade had Shizune as an assistant?"

Kiba nodded, wondering where I was getting at. I hesitated again, and then continued. "Uh, well, I was wondering…if I would have an assistant, like her. And I was also wondering…if, of course, I _do_ have an assistant…uh, I wondering, if I could _choose_ my assistant." I peeked over at Kiba's face to try and read his expression. Unfortunately, it was unreadable. "…uh…or….something like that….y'know…"

I put my hand on the back of my neck. I didn't understand why it was so hard to ask such an easy question. It wasn't as if anything terrible would happen if he rejected me…

Rejection. That's what I was afraid of. Of all the things I could be afraid of, that was it. I bowed my head, ashamed. Man, I was lame.

Suddenly, kiba said, "Waitaminute…are you trying to say that you want ME to be your assistant?"

I nodded, closing my eyes, fearing the words that I was sure he would utter…

"Of course."

_**I'll taste every moment**_

_**  
And live it out loud**_

_**  
I know this is the time,**_

_**  
This is the time to be**_

_**  
More than a name**_

_**  
Or a face in the crowd **_

_**  
I know this is the time **_

__

_**  
This is the time of my life **_

_**  
Time of my life**_

_**More than a name**_

_**  
Or a face in the crowd **_

_**  
This is the time**_

For some reason, I couldn't believe it. I don't know why I would think that my friend would reject me. It just was like that for me now. Before, my problem was loneliness and stubbornness. Now, my problem was an unexplainable fear of rejection. One problem follows another. Go figure.

"Why did it take so long to ask that?" Kiba inquired. He seemed genuinely curious. So I told him the truth, about my fear. And you know what? He laughed.

"So THAT'S what it was!" he exclaimed. "Why in the name of Kami were you worried about that? I am you're friend, remember?"

"Y-yeah, I remember," I said, grinning, relieved but still embarrassed. I didn't know if I was more embarrassed about telling him my stupid fear or if I was just embarrassed that I had been so stupid to question Kiba's loyalty to me. Loyalty to me…that had a nice ring to it.

Kiba tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing," I said, flashing him my trademark grin. "Just…happy."

He shrugged. "Makes sense. Things are looking bright, aren't they?"

"Yeah…"

"Hmm? What? I can't hear you," he teased.

And then I burst. "YESSSS!" I yelled, jumping up and down like a little kid. And then I ran straight for the Hokage's mountain, made my way up its steep cliffs, and stood at the top, feet spread a shoulder's width apart and hands clenched in fists by my side. Akamaru and Kiba followed me. When he caught up to me at the top of the mountain he grinned and said, "Go ahead. Say it."

_Gladly,_ I thought.

"DATTEBAYO!"

_**  
This is the time of my life.**_

_**This is the time of my life. **_

Life isn't perfect. I know that. But, it's pretty damn good. With friendship, love, excitement, and, yes, even war, hate, and sadness, we have life. We live it, through good and bad. Like I have.

Let me tell you, it doesn't get any better than this.

--

A/N: Well, how was it? Did you like it? I sure hope so!

R&R!!

:) :D XD


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